The Korean League of Legends (LoL) team, aiming for a second consecutive Asian Games title, started strong by defeating Taiwan in their opening match.
Coached by Kang Dong-hoon, the Korean team triumphed over Taiwan on September 30 at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, in the first match of Group B in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games esports tournament. Korea dismantled Taiwan's Nexus in approximately 26 minutes, marking their first victory of the tournament.
The Korean lineup featured top laner 'Zeus' Choi Woo-jae (Hanwha Life Esports), jungler 'Canyon' Kim Gun-bu (Gen.G Esports), 'Zeka' Kim Gun-woo (Hanwha Life Esports), AD carry 'Gumayusi' Lee Min-hyung (Hanwha Life Esports), and support 'Keria' Ryu Min-seok (T1).
Korea selected champions Olaf, Vi, Akali, Jhin, and Alistar, while Taiwan opted for Amumu, Qiyana, Ryze, Draven, and Renata Glasc.
In the early game, Taiwan's mid laner 'HongQiu' Chai Ming-hong secured the first kill, but 'Zeka' Kim Gun-woo quickly equalized the score. Around the five-minute mark, 'Canyon' Kim Gun-bu and 'Keria' Ryu Min-seok took down 'HongQiu,' putting Korea ahead 2-1.
Following this, with support from Kim Gun-bu, 'Zeus' Choi Woo-jae swiftly defeated the opposing top laner and destroyed the first turret, widening the global gold gap.
Korea solidified their advantage during a Rift Herald skirmish at the 15-minute mark. Although Taiwan secured the Herald, 'Zeka' Kim Gun-woo and 'Zeus' Choi Woo-jae surrounded the enemy, achieving five kills and extending the kill score to 8-1. The global gold difference surged to 4,000.
Korea continued to secure objectives and turrets, maintaining their lead and finishing the match in about 26 minutes without allowing Taiwan any significant counterattacks.
Taiwan, considered Korea's toughest competitor in this tournament, had reached the finals in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, where Korea won 2-0 to claim the gold medal.
With this victory over Taiwan, Korea has gained an advantageous start in the Group B standings. They will face India in their second group match at 11:30 a.m. and then take on Hong Kong at 2 p.m.
The LoL group stage features two groups of four teams each, competing in a single round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, scheduled for October 1, played in a best-of-three format, while the gold medal match will take place on October 2 at noon in a best-of-five format.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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